The origins of our Assam Golden Valley Tea
Make space in your cupboard for a caddy of this extra special FTGFOP1 loose leaf Assam black tea. A second-flush, single-origin tea from the renowned Mangalam Tea Estate, India, Assam Golden Valley has a rich, malty, spicy flavour that makes for an invigorating cup at any time of day.
Golden Valley is a perfect example of a characterful Assam tea with its long dark wiry leaves and abundance of golden tips. Deliciously complex, it has a deep amber colour and enticing caramel aroma and can be enjoyed with milk and sugar according to your personal preference. Like all great breakfast teas, Assam Golden Valley is high in antioxidants, which come from the polyphenols in the plant and are known to have anti-inflammatory and immune system-boosting properties.
Mangalam Tea Estate, where this lovely brew comes from, is located in Upper Assam and has a reputation for growing superior black teas from close-planted Clonal cultivars of the assamica variety of Camellia sinensis tea bush. The leaves for Golden Valley are harvested by hand in Assam's high-quality second flush and produced via the orthodox method of plucking, withering, rolling oxidising (also known as fermenting) and drying.
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The FTGFOP1 designation denotes the quality of the leaves: Finest Tippy Golden; Flowery Orange Pekoe; and 1 for premium grade, referring to how the leaves were plucked – in this case, two tender leaves and a single bud at a time, with the coarser leaves left on the bush.
As for the plantation itself, Mangalam Tea Estate is located 5300m above the Brahmaputra valley, whose river (Brahmaputra river) dominates the Assam region in India's far northeast. The largest tea-growing region in the world, Assam experiences high precipitation during the monsoon period, with as much as 250-300mm of rain per day. The daytime temperature often rises to about 40C, creating greenhouse-like conditions of extreme humidity and heat – the tropical climate contributing to Assam's unique malty taste and making it one of the most popular breakfast brews in the world.
Alternatives to this West Bengali black tea
For another outstanding brew from this award-winning tea estate, try our Assam Mangalam tea. Also, from Upper Assam, our Assam Manjushree is packed with golden tips, while our Assam Breakfast, Assam TGFOP Thowra and Meleng teas are great examples of the region's full-bodied, malty styles.
Our in-depth guide has all you need to know for more about Assam tea's taste, history, and how to brew it. Or discover a range of other teas with our Classic Black Tea Discovery Collection, which offers taster pouches for five different breakfast brews.